Summarised by Centrist
A Māori trade advisory group has accused India of being in a “state of denial” because its government considers all Indian citizens indigenous rather than recognising particular tribal populations under the United Nations framework.
Ngā Toki Whakarururanga was established in 2021 following a mediation agreement with the Crown. Its purpose is “to ensure that Māori have genuine and effective influence over every stage” of New Zealand trade policy and negotiations.
However, Journalist Graham Adams notes the group was not shown the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement before it was signed and was unable to secure the engagement it wanted with India’s Adivasi communities.
In a January interim assessment, the group said it had been “unsuccessful in seeking equivalent engagement and dialogue with Indigenous Peoples” in India.
It expressed “dismay and disbelief” at India’s position that all Indians have been considered indigenous since independence from Britain. The advisers described it as “inconceivable” that India does not accept that UNDRIP’s concept of distinct Indigenous Peoples applies within its borders.
“We are deeply concerned that India’s state of denial regarding Indigenous Peoples in its territory may have affected the recognition of Indigenous Peoples in this FTA,” the group wrote.
Adams says India adopted its position partly to keep domestic tribal policy outside international oversight and discourage indigenous separatist movements.
The FTA nevertheless “affirmed” New Zealand’s commitment to UNDRIP. Adams says that provision was inserted “apparently without the knowledge of even the Trade minister, Todd McClay”.
Ngā Toki Whakarururanga did not raise the issue in its later select committee submission. Adams suggests its concerns may have been eased by the inclusion of New Zealand’s UNDRIP commitment, despite India continuing to reject the framework’s application to its own population.
Read more over at Brash and Mitchell
Image: AIPP Foundation
